News Article of the Week: 3D Printer Sculpture Fun

Sometime ago, I can’t remember exactly when, my trusty companion began to get all excited about 3D printers. He would talk about them and get all happy thinking about all the things he could print once the massive cost finally came down (so we wouldn’t have to sell our firstborn to afford one.) I, on the other hand, didn’t see what the big deal was. One reason I didn’t care for the idea was, not because I am a luddite, but because I imagined them to be something like those awful 3D jigsaws which I could never finish or just another pricey gimmick.Also printers seem to have enough trouble printing 2D and I had uncomfortable images of me lying on the ground covered in 3D toner after a tussle, like something out of a horror movie.

Met Museum – NY

But I will admit that maybe I was too hasty in judging the 3D printer as this week a project has been announced and it looks fantastic! Gizmodo reported that the New York Metropolitan Museum has agreed for plans to be made of some of their famous sculptures which will allow users of the Makerbot printer to print scale versions of the sculptures. This is a fantastic idea as it gives art fans a new, fun way of obtaining copies of sculptures that they love and want to have at home. But before you start thinking that all your Christmas present ideas have come at once bear in mind that these printers are still really pricey. But the price of new technology does come down so maybe in a year or two we can turn our homes into mini-sculpture galleries.

So if you have a 3D printer or,like me, are excited about these developments.Which sculptures would you like to print? Or have you done so already?

If you would like to take a look at the sculptures available you can see them here on Thingiverse.